Conductive yarn with carbon nanotubes

Wearables
Conductive yarn with carbon nanotubes

nanotubeconductiveyarn.jpg

Here’s an interesting article on Nanowerk about coating cotton yarn in carbon nanotubes (CNT) to make it conductive. While still a ways off from DIY use, this is an intriguing step forward for wearables! Looks like they could learn a thing or two about making a sewable LED, though. (Thanks, Sean!)

From the Maker Shed:

Lilypad E-Sewing Kit

The LilyPad e-sewing kit contains the bits to sew LEDs into any piece of clothing. Add turn signals to a jacket, accentuate a t-shirt, or light-up your favorite pair of jeans with this simple to use kit. This kit contains the very basics to the LilyPad system. It’s a great entry-level kit for people who want to experiment with wearable electronics. Consider adding the LilyPad Pro Kit to extend control and use of the LilyPad system.

Features:

  • 5 LilyPad Bright White LEDs
  • 3 LilyPad Button Boards
  • 2 Coin Cell Batteries 20mm
  • 1 Coin Cell Holder
  • 1 Spool 4Ply Conductive Thread

4 thoughts on “Conductive yarn with carbon nanotubes

  1. Tony says:

    So what happens when the carbon nanotubes inevitably break off, and you breathe them in? Carbon nanotubes look to be extremely bad for your lungs…

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotubes#Toxicity

  2. Conductive yarn with carbon nanotubes Becky Stern says:

    Yeah, I’ve been warned that toxicity is a big problem with this, another reason it’s not ready for prime time!

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Becky Stern is a Content Creator at Autodesk/Instructables, and part time faculty at New York’s School of Visual Arts Products of Design grad program. Making and sharing are her two biggest passions, and she's created hundreds of free online DIY tutorials and videos, mostly about technology and its intersection with crafts. Find her @bekathwia on YouTube/Twitter/Instagram.

View more articles by Becky Stern

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